Presser-lifting mechanism for sewing machines



A. H. DE VOE. PRESSER LIFTING MECHANISM FOR SEWING'MACHINES.

- I APPLICATION FILED MAY 3, 1919. 1,420,413. .PatentedJme 20,1922.

3 SHEETS-SHEET l.

A. H. DE VOE. r PRESSER LIFTING MECHANiSM FOR SEWING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 3, 1919. T I

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

INVENTOR I $64M; /1 m ATTORNEY WITNESSES:

A. H. DE VOE.

PRESSER LIFTING MECHANISM FORYSEWIN'G MACHINES.

APPLICATION man MAY 3. 1919.

Patented June 20, 1922. a sunsrs suzsr a.

' BY 7 W ALBERT H. DE VOE, OF WESTFIELD, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO SING-ER MANU- FACTURING COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

PRESSER-LIFTING MECHANISM FOR SEWING MACI-IINES.

Application filed May 3, 1919.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT H. DE Von, a citizen of the United States, residin at l/Vestfield, in the county of Union and btate of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Presser-Lift, ing Mechanisms for Sewing Machines, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to sewing machines and more particularly to resser-foot lifting mechanism employed therein.

Its primary object is to improve the construction and arrangement thereof so that an operative may raise the presser-foot with her fore-arm or elbow without removing her hand or hands from the work. Also it contemplates an improved construction for supporting the fore-arm of an operative in a manner rendering elevation of the presser-foot easy and still further it comprehends a construction for supporting the fore-arm of an operative in a more natural position than heretofore thereby renderin the daily work less arduous.

succinctly stated the construction comprises a presser-foot liftin mechanism which may be operated by shifting the forearm while resting upon the cloth-plate against a lever fulcrumed on the vertical standard above the cloth-plate and depending downwardly into proximity with the cloth-plate, the lever having a broad face at one end of and adjacent the cloth-plate.

Other objects of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of the invention illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a sewing machine equipped with the novel presser-liftin v mechanism. Figs. 2 and 3 are top and bottom plan views, respectively, of the machine illustrated in Fig. 1. And Figs. 4 and 5 are leftand right-end elevations, respectively, of the machine shown in Fig. 1, parts being broken away in Fig. 5 to better the'view.

The invention is applicable to any type of sewing machine and as illustrated is applied to one having a depending head 1 connected on smooth lines to an overhanging arm 2 extending laterally from a vertical standard 3 which is supported by a baseplate 4. a H 7 up Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 20, 1922.

Serial No. 294,393.

A presser-foot 5, secured to a presser-bar 6 slidably supported in the depending head 1 and having aplate 7 secured to it b screws 8 over a groove 9 in a block 10 on its upper end, is adapted to be lifted through a bellcrank 11 pivoted at 12 below the axis of the overhanging arm and adjacent the junction of the depending head 1 and the overhanging arm 2. The bellcrank 11 has a circularly faced flat end 13 which is received within the slot defined by the groove 9 and plate 7 at the upper end of the presser-bar. The opposite end of the bellcrank 11 is pinnedat 14 to a link 15 which is articulated at 16 to a rod 17 about which is coiled a spring 18 adjustably tensioned between a thrust-collar 19 fixed to the rod 17 and an abutment face 20 inside the overhanging arIn. By the thumbscrew 21 the tension of the coiled spring 18 may be varied to regulate the yielding pressure with which the presser-foot is urged downwardly upon the work.

A. second collar 23 is fixed in spaced relation on the rod 17 from the collar 19 to receive the yoke-end 24 .of a second bell-' crank-lever 25 fulcrumed at 26 adjacent the junction of the overhanging arm and vertical standard with its opposite end connected by a link 27- to a plural-armed lever 28 fulcrumed at 29 in the bed-plate of the machine and connected by a second link 30 which extends vertically upward into proximity with the junction of a vertical standard and overhanging arm where'it is 0011- at its lower end has a broad face suitable for operation by ones fore-arm. 'A pro jection 36 on the lower end of. the sheetmetal lever 32 is adapted to ride over a leaf-spring 37 secured by the screws 38 to the under side and at the rear of the baseplate 4. The leaf-spring 37 is provided with an tip-turned lip 39 adjacent an aperture 4:0 in the frame of the machine and acts as a keeper to hold the presser-foot raised when desired. 1

The sheet-metal lever 32 is located at one side of a cloth-plate 41 which is provided with a flange 42 extending preferably at an inclination downward from the line of seam-formation. It will be noticed from Fig. 5 that the'sheet-metal lever 32 is in line with and at one end of the arm rest constituted by the fiange-42. Adjacent the flange 42 the cloth-plate has a vertical face 43.

When the machine is in operation, the Presser-foot 5 is yieldingly held down upon the work by the spring 18; When it is de siredto raise the presser-foot from the work, which the; operator-usually manipulates with both of her hands adjacent the stitching point and as contemplated in the present invention with her forearm upon the armrest 42', all that she is called upon to do is to press with her fore-arm against the broad face at the lower end of the lever 32 until the projection 36 snaps past the up-turned lip 39 on the spring 37 whereupon the pressenfootwill be held in a raised position. In shifting the lower free end of the lever 32 toward the vertical standard the rearwardly extending arm 31 has its end raised thereby pulling upon the link 30, rocking the lever 28, and through the link 27 rocking the bellcrank 25 to pull back upon the link 15 which is connected, through the bellc'rank 11, directly to the upper end of the presser-bar 6. Additional means are also provided for liftincr the presser-foot by a foot-treadle or knee-s i ft. These comprise a rod 44 connected in any suitable manner to a foottreadle or knee-shift (not shown) and extending to a belle-rank 45 fulcrumed at 46 to the rear of the frame. At its lower end the bellcrank 45 is pinned at 47 to a link 48 which has a forked extremity 49 adapted for one way operation of a pin 50 in a crankarm 51 fixedly connected to the lever 28. By pulling down upon the rod 44 the pin 50 is moved to the right to effect a turning movement of the lever 28 and consequent elevation of the presser-foot in the same manner as has been described in connection with the forearm operable sheet-metal lever 32. The treadle operable lever 45 is also connected to a member 52 which is adapted to operate a strip-guide 53 as described in m'ycopending application Serial No. 294,395 filed onzeven date herewith.

The bellcrank-lever 25 if desired maybe provided with a pluralityof wedges as indicated at 54 and 55 for releasing opposed pairs of constant tension devices 56 and 57 in a manner fully disclosed in my pending application Serial No. 149,719, filed Februarvao", 191-7.

Having thus set forth the nature of the invention, what I claim herein is- I. In a sewing machine having a vertical standard, a presser-foot, a spring for yieldingly holding the presser-foot down upon the work and presser-foot lifting mechanism including a member having a free end movable toward and fronrgthe axis of the vertical standard in the general direction of the line of seam-formation and accessible to the operators fore-arm without necessitating removal of the operators hands from the work.

2. In a sewing machine having a frame including a vertical standard and a clothplate, a presser-foot, a spring for yieldingly holding the presser-foot down upon the work and presser-foot lifting mechanism including a lever pivoted on the frame of the machine having a free end located adjacent both the vertical standard and the clothplate and movable transversely of the vertical standard in the general direction of the line of seam-formation, said free end being accessible to the operators arm without ne cessitating removal of the hands from the foot down upon the work and presser-foot liftingmechanism including a member fulcrumed on an axis extending substantially lengthwise of the machine, and havlng a depending free end located near the verticalstandardand cloth-plate and extending into a position wherein it is easily accessible so.

that it may be shifted by theoperator during normal operation of the machine.

5. In a sewing machine having a vertical standard and'a cloth-plate, a presser-foot, a spring for yieldingly holding the presserfoot down upon the work and presser-foot lifting mechanism including a member having a free end located adjacent the clothplate and the vertical standard and shiftable substantially horizontally for permitting the presser-foot to be raised.

6. In a sewing machine having a clothplate, a presser-foot, a spring for 'yieldingly holding the presser-foot down upon the work, and presser-foot lifting mechanism'ineluding a sheet-metal lever having an end freely .movable in the general directioncof the line of scam formation and with a relatively broad face adjacent the cloth-plate and convenientfor operation by the forearm.

7. In a sewing machine having a vertical standard, a presser-foot, a spring for yieldingly holding the presser-foot down upon the work, a presser-foot lifting mechanism including a sheet-metal lever having a broad face convenient for fore-arm manipulation and a stiffening flange disposed at an angle to said broad face, said lever being disposed adjacent and extending in the same general direction as the vertical standard.

8. In asewing machine having a vertical standard, in combination, a cloth-plate flanged lengthwise at its front portion, a presser-foot, a spring for yieldingly holding the presser-foot down upon the work, presser foot lifting mechanism including a lever arranged for fore-arm operation and located at one end of the flanged portion of the cloth-plate.

9. In a sewing machine having stitchforming mechanism, in combination, a cloth-plate flanged at an inclination downward and laterally of the line of seam-for mation, a presser-foot, a spring for yieldingly holding the presser-foot down upon the Work, presser-foot lifting mechanism including a member having a free shiftable end located in line with and at one end of the flanged portion of the cloth-plate.

10. In a Presser-foot lifting mechanism, in combination, a presser-foot, an arm-rest, a member located at one end of the arm-rest and having a free end movable transversely of the arm-rest, and connections between said member and said presser-foot for lifting the latter by movement of the former with out requiring the operator to lift her forearm from its rest.

11. In a sewing machine having a clothplate an overhanging arm and a vertical standard, in combination, a presser-foot, a spring for yieldingly holding the presserfoot down upon the work, a lever pivotally supported nearer to the junction of the vertical standard and overhanging arm than to the cloth-plate and transverse to the general direction of the feed of the work and depending downwardly to a point adjacent the cloth-plate and adapted to be operated by substantially horizontal movement of ones fore-arm while resting upon the cloth-plate.

12. In a presser-foot lifting mechanism, in combination, a resser-foot, an arm-rest, a member located at one end of the arm-rest and having a free end movable transversely of the arm-rest, and connections between said member and said presser-foot for lifting the latter by movement of the former without requiring the operator to lift her fore-arm connections between said third lever and said first mentioned levers for permitting the presser-foot to be lifted by movement of the fore-arm.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

ALBERT H. DE VOE. 

